Automatic safety tractor device



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AUTOMATIC SAFETY TRACTOR DEvIcs Fed Nov. 24.` 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 illu58 www@ 'mh B WWW v A 0mm/s Dec. 9, 1924.

1,519,079 v E. H. wHmNG AUTOMATIC SAFETY TRACTOR DEvI Filed Nov. 24.1920 2 SheetswSheet 2 `.dumm

/N VEN TOR wrm/5.8358

Patented Bec. 9, 1924.

UNITED STATES EVERETT H. WRITING, OF SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC SAFETY TRACTOR DEVICE.

Application filed November 24, 1920. Serial No. 426,200.

T all fur/0m it may concern.' j

Be it knmvnthat I, Evnnn'r'r H. VHITING, a citizen of the United States,and a resident oi' Santa Rosa, in the county of Sonoma and State ofCalifornia, have invented a 'new and Improved Automatic Safety TractorDevice, of which the following is a tull, clear, an'dexact description.

My invention relates to automatic safety tractor devices; thatis todevices in they nature of automatic circuit breakers, so constructedandarranged as to break the ignition circuit of the tractor, so as to cutofi the power, in the event the tractor is tilted beyond a predeterminedangle relative to its normal level. j

More particularly stated, I provide the tractor with a circuit breakercontaining a volume of free mercury and connected with the ignitioncircuit of the vehicle in such a manner thatthe mercury by its flow inone "direction, When the vehicle is tilted, breaks the ignition circuitand thus causes the vehicle to come to a full stop. j

Reference is madeto the accompanying drawings :forming a part of thisspeciiiica` tion, and in which like characters of reference indicatelike parts throughout the several figures. I

Figure 1 is a side vieiv partly in elevation and partly in` section,showing my device with its movable parts arranged in the positions theyrespectively occupyivhen the body 'of the tractor is substantiallylevel.` j

Fig. 21's a side view partly in elevation and partly in section showingmy device with its movable parts occupying the respec-` tive positionsthey occupy when the vehicle is inclined and the ignition circuitbroken.

Fig. 3 is a plan vieiv of my improved cir cuit breaking lever, Which .iscontrollable by gravity and for this purpose is adapted to contain avolumeof mercury.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4.4 of Fig. 3 looking in the directionindicated by the arrows.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 looking in the directionindicated by the arrows. V

The two members 6, 7 constitute a portion of the engine body and areprovided with lianges 8, 9 inte-gral with them. Extending through these4llanges are bolts 10 provided with heads 11 and fitted with nuts 12.The purpose of these bolts is two-fold, namely, to hold the flanges. 8,9 together, and to sew cure upon the engine body an-apron plate 13, Thisapron plate is provided `with a flange 14 integral with it and extendslaterally as shown in Fig. 5, so that the bolts extend through theiiange 14. Thus the apron plate 13 is rigid relatively to the enginebody. Extending through the apron plate 13 is a journal bolt 15 providedWith a head 16 and with a nut 17 and a nut lock 18. The apron plate 13carries a sector plate 19 through which the journal bolt 15 extends. Thesector plate 19 may be turned upon the journal bolt 15, and thusadjusted in different angular positions relatively to the apron plate13.

` The sector plate 19 is provided with notches 21 disposed upon itsperipheral edge; and is further provided With degree marks, in thisinstance 30, 40, 50o, 60, as shovvnin Figs. 1 and 2. Extending throughthe apron plate 13 is a bolt 22 the form and arrangement of which may beunderstood from Fig. 5. This bolt carries a detent 23, adapted to tloosely into the notches 21, one at a time, as the bolt 23 is turned.The bolt 22 is provided With an angular head 24 whereby it may beturned. It is further provided with a nut 25 and a nut lock 26. Theoperator by turning the bolt head 24 can cause the detent 23 to enterthe notches 21, one at a time, so as to turn the sector plate 19 step bystep, to a limited extent per* mitted by the number of notches 21.

The sector plate 19 carries a sector frame 27 having generally the formof a box, as may be understood from Figs. 1,2 and' 5', and provided witha cover 28 which in this instance is made of sheet metal.

The circuit breaking lever is shown .in Figs. 3 and 4, and has the formof a boitY 29, adapted to contain mercury, and `conveniently designatedas the mercury box. The mercury box is provided with a neck 29y and witha screw stopple 29b to enable mercury to be poured into or out oi it.The mercury boX is provided with trunnions One oi these trunnions isengaged by a trunnion screw 32, locked in position by a nut lock 33, asshown in Fig. 5, the other trunnion eet-- tending into a bearing 34. Theoperator by turning the trunnion screw 32 may adjust the mountings i'orthe mercury box, so as to allow the mercury box more or less freedom asrequired. The mercury boX is'provided With an eye 34 asindicated morepar-` ticularly in Figs. 3 and 4. A contact but- Tu O ton 35 is `carriedby a threaded stem 36 which extends through the eye 34. Engaging thethreaded stem 36 are nuts 87, 38; these nuts together with the stem 35serving the purpose of a binding post.-- Connected with this bindingpost is a Wire 39 which extends through a bushing -ll of insulatingmaterial carried by the sector frame 27. This- Wire 39 is so mounted asto possess a certain vdegree ol' flexibility,- in order to allowY themercury box a certain amount-ofifreedom-to enableit to rock. lll 1smounted upona stem-42, which extends through.'insulation48 carried bythe sector frame 27. A contactwspringfefl is mounted upon the stem 42andcheld in position bly-nuts 415,46, theseA nuts andy the boltll2together forming a binding-post. Con--Y nected with'thisibinding post.1s a Wire 47.-

The'wire 47 and the Wire iQ-.above described-,- together with.the-contact buttons-.35i and/ll i and parts Y immediately adjacent.thereto,

form -a part .of the igntion circuit of the.

tractor engine.

When. thecvarious movable parts are 'in their .v respectivenormal,.positions, as ind-'icatedin Fig. 1, the ignition eircuitisclosed,

owing-to the 'fact that thercontact button- 35i is in engagement withthe .contactbutton- L.Lland `is alsoV inengagementl with thecontactspring 4 4. Howeveiywhen the vari-` ous movable parts are in theirrespectiveab--y normal-positions vas indicated in Fig. l.2, .so thatthemercury box is tilted as lshovvnV in Fig. '2, theignitioncircuit-.vis broken A- quantity of mercury Iis located-- withinthe mercury box 29. and .is adaptedy to loiv from one. endet the mercuryboxto the other` as maybe-understood by contrast ing- Figs. l and 2.

The sector frame 27 carries a llatch 4.8-

having the general torni-oit a. leali spring and provided with al handle-l9as shown in Figs. l. and-2. through kan opening in the sector frame.

The operator, by pressing downwardly uponv the handle 49 -may shift'the.position ofthe'- spring latch'48.- The mercurybox-2941M- ries a lipl 51made of metal and adapted to be engaged by the spring latch 48. When themercury box 29 is tiltedinto the posi,-

tion indicated. for it in -Fig.: .2 the lip 51,-

is engaged byk the spring latchS so` thatthe-mercury. box is lockedrelativelytothe'.-

A contact button The' handle f .proj ects as long as theengine bodyremains substantially level.

It, however, it happens that the tractor engine body is tilted, asindicated in Fig.

i2, the volume of mercury 45 flows from its position which itoccupies inFig. l, to the position which' it occupies in Fig. 2, thereby causingthe mercury box to tilt and thus open the ignition circuit.

The operator may .from time to time, b turning the bolt-24, as abovedescribed, .a

just the sector plate 19 into diiferenoangw` lar positions relatively to-.theapron-plate.r 13, andby dOing-thishemay: control Y.the-Vsensitiveness- -o'l the circuit kbreaking mecha: w

nism.-

I do not limit myself to theiprecise-mechanism :here shown and.descr1bed,- as l vvaria-- tionsmay bemade fthereron'r-y without. .de-g.part-ing. 't'ro1n:the .spirit of my invention.- i

I claim z 1. In a circuit breaking-switch, thecom. bination. of an.apron.plate-providedpwith; a 'Ii-ange,- means .for -detaehablyconnectingsaid lange with the body of a tractor-enr gine yor -thelike, asector plate-journaled uponl said apron plate, means controllableat...the will. of the operator for. adjustingsaid :sector plate todiferent angles` re1a'4 tivelyto said apron.v plate, a sector framecarried bywsaid sector plate and having-the'- general formera box, :aAcontact-fin the bottom of said box,-;a switchleverlocatedy within .saidbox and `mounted, to rock, ,said switch lever being ,hollow 1and'`having; the

form of `a box, va volumey of--free mercury. located- Within. said-lastmentioned box,` a contact on one end `of the meren-ryA box..

and adaptedto ybe :engaged- `with: andn disengagedfrom-theicontacty of`the. section frame..l vby thev tilting movements of said mercury box,and means y for enabling the operator -to kconnect Y saidv contact mechanisln with an ignition-circuit..

2. A .device -o't -the character described comprising an-apron plate, sasectoriplate journaled-` relatively to said apron. plateand`providedwith notches, a bolt `,carried by said apron-:plate andprovided With a detent for enteringsaid notches one-at, a time-inorder-toholdsaid sector` plate in dllie'rent positions relatirely tosaid apron. plate, a sector frame connected; rigidly lwith said esectorplate .-andphaving thel generaly form of a box, a circuit breakingswitchin;

the! form. of. a boxycontainingniercury and journaled-xvithin ..sa-d`@sector 'trainen-and adapted to be tilted relatively tosaid-secstor'frame f by` -thenmereury -1 contact..v mechanism locatedWithin said sector frame and controllable by movements of. said mercury.box therein, and electrical connections tosaidcontact. mechanism.

3 A device of .theycharacterv describedt compri-sing an apron platevprovided'-fwithf.

a flange, bolts for connecting said flange with the body of a tractor, ajournal bolt carried by said apron frame, a sector plate mounted uponsaid journal bolt, means controllable at the will of the operator forshifting said sector plate into different polsitions relatively7 to saidapron plate, a sec tor frame carried by said sector plate and yhavingthe general form of a box, a mercury box carried by said sector frameand so journaled relatively thereto that said mercury box may be tilted,means controllable at the Will of the operator for adjusting the freedomwith which said mercury box can 15 tilt relatively to said sector frame,and

contact mechanism carried by said sector frame and mercuiy box andcontrollable by movements of said mercury box for the purpose olfbreaking an electric circuit.

4. A device of the character described, con'iprising a pivoted box-likeframe having contact in its bottom, means for adjusting said frame todifferent angular positions, a mercury box pivoted in the said box-likeframe and having a contact at one end and provided at its other end witha lip, wires connected with said contacts, and a latch carried by thebox-like frame and adapted to engage the lip of the mercury box to lockthe latter against movement.

EVERETT H. WHITING.

